Helion
Fusion Power
SeniorComputationalPlasmaScientist-Kinetic/PICModeling
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“Senior Computational Plasma Scientist - Kinetic / PIC Modeling at Helion. Skills: Kinetic simulations, Particle-in-Cell simulations, WarpX, Python. Run kinetic / Particle-in-Cell simulations. Design simulation campaigns”
What You'll Achieve.
Advance understanding of plasma behavior; Advance Helion’s path toward fusion electricity
Industry & Context.
Translate findings into clear physical insight
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
PhD in Plasma Physics, Applied Physics, Computational Physics, Nuclear Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field, 3+ years of experience running, analyzing, or interpreting kinetic / Particle-in-Cell plasma simulations in academic, national lab, or industry settings, understanding of kinetic plasma physics and Particle-in-Cell modeling methods, Experience running and interpreting PIC simulations using WarpX, OSIRIS, VPIC, EPOCH, Smilei, LSP, FBPIC, or comparable codes, Experience designing simulation campaigns, including input setup, boundary conditions, parameter scans, convergence checks, and validation workflows, scientific programming skills in Python, MATLAB, Julia, C++, Fortran, or similar languages for simulation analysis and visualization, Ability to communicate complex simulation results clearly to computational, experimental, and cross-functional audiences
What You'll Do.
Run kinetic / Particle-in-Cell simulations
Design simulation campaigns
Analyze large-scale field and particle outputs
Compare results against experimental data
Turn kinetic simulations into actionable physics insight
Develop simulation input decks
Build analysis scripts
Build reduced data products
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Partner with experimental scientists; Partner with diagnostics engineers; Partner with RF engineers; Partner with MHD modelers; Communicate complex simulation results to cross-functional audiences
Communication Scope
Communicate complex simulation results clearly
Full Job Description
About Helion We are a fusion power company based in Everett, WA, with the mission to build the world's first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity. Our vision is a world with clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone. Since Helion's founding in 2013, we have raised over $1 billion from long-time investors such as Sam Altman, Mithril, and Capricorn Investment Group as well as new investors SoftBank and Lightspeed to propel us forward. Our last prototype, Trenta, completed 10,000 high-power pulses and reached plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius (9 keV). We are now operating Polaris, our next prototype on the path to the world's first fusion power plant. This is a pivotal time to join Helion. You will tackle real-world challenges with a team that prizes urgency, rigor, ownership, and a commitment to delivering hard truths – values essential to achieving what no one has before. Together, we will change the future of energy, because the world can't wait. What You Will Be Doing: Helion is hiring a Senior Computational Plasma Scientist to run and interpret kinetic / Particle-in-Cell simulations that help advance our understanding of plasma behavior in Helion’s fusion generators. In this role, you will use tools such as WarpX or similar PIC codes to design simulation campaigns, analyze large-scale field and particle outputs, and compare results against experimental data from Helion’s operating machines. You will focus on turning kinetic simulations into actionable physics insight for topics such as plasma startup, RF/plasma interactions, particle transport, sheath behavior, and other effects that may not be fully captured by fluid or MHD models. This position reports to the Manager of Computational Science at our Everett, WA office and plays a key role in advancing Helion’s path toward fusion electricity. You Will: - Run kinetic / Particle-in-Cell simulations using WarpX or similar PIC codes to study plasma behavior
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